Mechanism for facilitating hybrid control panels within gaming systems

ABSTRACT

A mechanism is described for facilitating hybrid control panels within gaming systems according to one embodiment of the invention. A method of embodiments of the invention includes employing one or more hybrid control panels at a computing device. The computing device may include a gaming device. The method may further include detecting user movements across a surface of each of the one or more hybrid control panels. The detecting may be performed at least in part using sensors of the hybrid control panels. The method may further include interpreting the user movements, and facilitating actions based on the interpreted user movements.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/505,294, filed Jul. 7, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

Embodiments of the invention relate to gaming systems. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a mechanism for facilitating hybrid control panels at gaming systems.

BACKGROUND

With the growing use of hand-held devices, such as gaming systems, cellular phones, personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile internet devices (MIDs), etc., new convenient features and services are expected to keep up with the growth. For example, recent technological advancements have resulted in games becoming more detailed and complex, requiring better and more sophisticated control mechanisms, input sources, etc., for users to have a realistic gaming experience. Conventional gaming control features, like keypads, buttons, joysticks, etc., lack the necessary handiness or dexterity and thus, conventional gaming systems are typically difficult to hold and operate at the same time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates a gaming system employing hybrid control panels and input sources according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a gaming system employing hybrid control panels.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of hybrid control panel mechanism.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method for facilitating of hybrid control panels within gaming systems according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is block diagram of a computer system suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure according to one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth. However, embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known circuits, structures and techniques have not been shown in details in order not to obscure the understanding of this description.

Embodiments of the invention provide a mechanism for facilitating hybrid control panels at gaming systems. In one embodiment, a gaming system employs one or more control panels having a non-planar surface (that is contoured to work well with the shape of a user's thumb) having two or more types of sensors (e.g., a capacitive sensor, an optical sensor, etc.) which can sense not only touch (e.g., human touch), but also movement of the touch area across the entire surface area (e.g., the surface area of a sensor employed within a control panel). The non-planar surface or shape comprises a saddle shape designed to accommodate a human thumb. Control panels may be referred to as “UniPoint sensors” or simply “sensors” throughout this document. However, the use of the term “Unipoint” should not be read to limit embodiments of the invention to devices that carry that label in products or in literature external to this document.

In one embodiment, the gaming system may employ a touch screen to serve as an input device as well as a display screen. For example, the user may use the touch screen to create inputs to the gaming system by, for example, touching or swiping the screen and/or may further use the touch screen to view visual displays of games (e.g., icons for browsing and selection by the user) and/or receive feedbacks with relevant information.

Using the novel technique of employing hybrid control panels, in one embodiment, (1) the input mechanism remains flush with the device surface (unlike, for example, joysticks), so it can be laid flat; and (2) input mechanism is not physically coincident with the display (unlike, for example, a regular touch screen), so the users' fingers need not compete with game content for screen real estate.

For brevity, clarity, and ease of understanding, this document focuses on mobile computing devices, such as gaming devices, but it is contemplated that embodiments of the present invention are not limited to such devices and that they are applicable to and workable with any number and type of existing and future computing devices.

FIG. 1 illustrates a gaming system 100 employing hybrid control panels 110A, 110B and input sources 140 according to one embodiment of the invention. A front/top view of gaming system 100 (also referred to as “gaming device”) is illustrated here. In one embodiment, gaming device 100 employs one or more hybrid control panels 110A, 110B. Each hybrid control panel 110A, 110B is button action-based and has a non-planar surface that is contoured to work with the contours of a user's thumb, having two or more types of sensors, such as a capacitive sensor 120A, 120B and an optical sensor 130A, 130B, that not only can sense human touch, but also any movement within the touch area across the surface and/or the user's proximity to the gaming device 100, such as the entire surface of a hybrid control panel 110A, 110B. For example and in one embodiment, capacitive sensors 120A, 120B may be located in a separate touch area from optical sensors 130A, 130B, as illustrated here, or the two types of sensors 120A, 120B, 130A, 130B may be set differently, such as intermingled, place above-below each other, or the like.

In one embodiment, each hybrid control panel 110A, 110B may further include one or more buttons in communication with their corresponding one or more electrical switches (not shown here) placed, for example, somewhere below the surface where an electrical switch can be activated by pressing on the button above (the electrical switch) at the surface of a control panel 110A, 110B. For example, activating an electrical switch may require more pressure on the hybrid control panel surface than what might be normally needed for the control panel to simply sense a touch. In some embodiments, the entire surface may move down when a hybrid control panel 110A, 110B is pressed in this manner. In other embodiments, a hybrid control panel 110A, 110B may be divided into physically separate portions, where one portion may move down when pressed while the other portion may remain stationary. In some embodiments, the different portions of hybrid control panels 110A, 110B may be used to activate any number of separate electrical switches when pressed. Further, as an alternative to a uniformly movable surface, a flexible depression surface may be used to activate electrical switches. Any number of other switches, such as tactile switches, dome switches, etc., may also be employed at various locations within hybrid control panels 110A, 110B to provide a number of additional functionalities. In one embodiment, a control panel 110A, 110B reflects the entirely of an input device located on either side of the gaming device 100, a UniPoint sensor is the core of the control panel 110A, 110B and optionally surrounded or under played by one or more switches and one or more sensors 120A, 120B, 130A, 130B that considered as sub-components of the UniPoint sensor.

In the illustrated embodiment, two hybrid control panels 110A, 110B are shown with each positioned for easy accessibility by each user thumb, but it is contemplated that embodiments of the invention are in no way limited to any particular number, type, shape, or placement of hybrid control panels 110A, 110B, sensors 120A, 120B, 130A, 130B, switches, touch/display screen 140, screen options 150A-150H, and the like.

In one embodiment, gaming system 100 employs a touch/display screen 140 that is capable of sensing a touch when a user touches the screen, where these touches can be regarded as sources of inputs in addition to those received from using control panels 110A, 110B. For example, screen 140 may be used as an input device, in which case the user may provide inputs for the gaming system 100, such as user settings (e.g., color, sound, etc.), user profile (user age, name, team name, etc.), account or credit card information for purchasing a game, selecting a game from a menu of available games, or the like. Such inputs may be provided by simply touching the screen 140, swiping the screen, flicking the screen, and the like. Screen 140 may also provide visual feedback to the user for relevant information, such as confirmation of certain settings, credit card purchase, etc. As will be described later, gestures provided through control panels 110A, 110B include multi-touch gestures (such as zoom, rotate, pan, etc.) using the two UniPoint sensors 120A-120B, 130A-130B.

In some embodiments, screen 140 serves as a game display screen for playing games, a web browser for surfing the Internet, a video screen for watching videos (e.g., family videos, YouTube videos, movies, etc.), a still screen for watching photos, a reading screen for reading books, articles, newspapers, magazines, etc. In another embodiment, gaming device 100 may be used to play a game or display video or photos on a separate display device (e.g., a television, a computer display, a projector, etc.) with which the gaming system 100 is put into wired or wireless communication. In yet another embodiments, a game may be played (or a video or pictures may be watched) interchangeably or by switching between screen 140 and one or more other display devices including televisions, computers, and even other game devices including those similar to gaming system 100. Further, in one embodiment, other input/output devices (e.g., keyboards, keypads, touchpads, joysticks, mice, display devices, gaming systems, computing devices (e.g., mobile devices, such as smartphones, PDAs, etc.), printers, etc.) may be put into wired or wireless communication with gaming device 100 for certain uses and purposes. As aforementioned, embodiments of the invention are not limited to any shapes, layouts, placements, sizes, components, colors, etc., including the ones illustrated here.

In the illustrated embodiment, hybrid control panels 110A, 110B are placed such that the user's thumbs would fall naturally on the sensors 120A, 120B, 130A, 130B, electrical switches, and any other circuitry necessitating the touch or pressure. As aforementioned, in one embodiment, any switches (e.g., electrical switches) are placed in such a manner that they underlie their corresponding buttons at the surface of control panels 110A, 110B such that when the user's thumb comes in contact with one or more buttons at the surface of a control panel 110A, 110B, the one or more switches that underlie the one or more buttons are triggered. It is contemplated that although thumbs would be the user's natural choice, embodiments of the invention are not limited to using human thumbs and that, for example, other fingers, toes, etc may be also be used, as necessitated or desired by the user. Hybrid control panels 110A, 110B may provide several forms of user control through gesture detection of gestures, such as “panning”, “zooming”, “rotating”, etc., to perform various corresponding functions. In one embodiment, each hybrid control panel 110A, 110B includes a hybrid sensor combining capacitive sensors 120A and 120B with optical sensors 130A and 130B, respectively, and fuses them to the same coordinate and mapping systems. This may be handled at different points in the filter chain depending on the specific embodiments, such as, in one embodiment, the optical data may have a separate pre-filter from the capacitive filter and is hybridized with the capacitive data during a primary filter.

It is contemplated that embodiments of the invention are not limited to the aforementioned gestures and/or their purposes as any number and type of existing and future gestures may be employed and recognized along with their purposes by simply remapping or changing certain logic blocks of gaming system 100, including its hardware components, software modules, etc.

Further, for example, Boolean input may be used to provide additional functionalities and gesture recognition, such as distinguishing between “clicks” and “sustained presses”. For instance, a single tap may awaken gaming system 100 from hibernation, while anther single click may be used to select 160 an object or item 150C from the screen menu 150A-150H and a double click can restore the menu or deselect the selected item, such as item 150C. Similarly, other gestures, such as “dragging”, etc., may be used to perform various functions. It is to be noted that the menu items 150A-150H are illustrated merely an example and for simplicity and brevity and that in no way embodiments of the invention are limited to the illustrated items 150A-150H or their arrangement or format, or the like. Various forms of user gestures/inputs may be recognized by the touch/display screen 140, such as “pointing” through sliding motions of the user thumbs (or fingers) on the surface of hybrid control panels 110A, 110B for movement on screen 140, text editing, etc., “selecting” through physically depressing or tapping of one or more of the sensors 120A, 120B, 130A, 130B or one of the surrounding or adjacent buttons for changing the location of the pointer, caret, or cursor, etc., and “flicking” or “flipping” vertically or horizontally for controlling emailing, reading, editing documents, surfing the Internet, “flipping” through a set up photos, etc.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a gaming system 100 employing hybrid unipoint control panels 110A, 110B. For brevity, some of the components of gaming system 100 are illustrated and mentioned here, but they are further discussed with reference to computing system 500 of FIG. 5. It is contemplated that gaming system 100, illustrated here, may include a computing system and therefore include all or at least some of the components of computing system 500 of FIG. 5. Gaming system 100 includes a number of interfaces 202 that further include user interfaces 204, audio/video/camera (AVC) interfaces 206, and other interfaces 208. Other interfaces 208 may include one or more wireless interfaces, one or more wired interfaces, one or more infrared interfaces, etc. Gaming system 100 further includes an operating system 214 serving as an interface between any hardware or physical resources of the gaming system 100 and a user. Gaming system 100 further includes one or more processors 212, memory devices 216, network devices, drivers, or the like, as well as input/output (I/O) sources 232, such as a touch/display screen 140 (including a touch pad, a touch panel, and a display screen), a speaker 240, microphone 242, camera 244, virtual or regular keyboards, virtual or regular mice, etc. In one embodiment, touch/display screen 140 be changed to or serve as a display screen as discussed with reference to FIG. 1.

In one embodiment, gaming system 100 employs one or more hybrid unipoint control panels 110A, 110B. In one embodiment, hybrid control panels are facilitated through hybrid UniPoint control panel mechanism (“control panel mechanism”) 270, that is further described with reference to FIG. 3, and an assembly of hybrid sensors 254. The assembly of hybrid sensors 254 may include an array of capacitive sensors 256, at least one optical sensor 258 for each hybrid control panel, switches 260 (such as electrical switches, mechanical switches, tactile switches, dome switches, etc.) underlying their corresponding buttons, other circuitry 262 (e.g., detectors, connectors, receivers, transmitters, etc.), and the like.

As aforementioned, in one embodiment, any switches (e.g., electrical switches) are placed in such a manner that they underlie their corresponding buttons at the surface of control panels 110A, 110B such that when the user's thumb comes in contact with one or more buttons at the surface of a control panel 110A, 110B, the one or more switches that underlie the one or more buttons are triggered.

As aforementioned, gaming system 100 may include all or at least some of the components of computing system 500 of FIG. 5 and therefore, any number of hybrid control panels 110A, 110B, and relevant mechanisms, such as control panel mechanism 270, may be employed within mobile computing devices, such as cellular phones including smartphones (e.g., iPhone®, BlackBerry®, etc.), other phones (e.g., landlines), handheld computing devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc., tablet computers (e.g., iPad®, Samsung® Galaxy Tab®, etc.), laptop computers (e.g., notebook, netbook, Ultrabook™, etc.), e-readers (e.g., Kindle®, Nook®, etc.), etc. Computing device 100 may further include set-top boxes (e.g., Internet-based cable television set-top boxes, etc.), and larger computing devices, such as desktop computers, server computers, etc.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of hybrid unipoint control panel mechanism 270. In one embodiment, control panel mechanism 270 includes various components 302-310 to facilitate employment and use of one or more hybrid unipoint control panels at a gaming system. Control panel mechanism 270 includes adaptive logic 302 that adopts the hybrid nature of at least two different types of sensors, such as capacitive sensors and optical sensors. In one embodiment, an array of capacitive sensors and at least one optical sensor may be provided as intermingled or hybrid or joint in a single hybrid control panel. Adaptive logic 302 accepts, adopts and even facilitates the hybrid nature of these sensors.

Control panel mechanism 270 further includes gesture recognition logic 304 to recognize various user gestures (such as user touch or pressure through user thumbs, fingers, etc.) that are inputted and obtained through hybrid capacitive and optical sensors and any switches (e.g., electrical switches) of one or more hybrid control panels employed at the gaming system. Gesture interpretation logic 306 of control panel mechanism 270 is used to interpret the gestures recognized by gesture recognition logic 304, such as whether to move a cursor, throw a ball or swing a bat during a game, send an email, edit a document, etc., as well as distinguishing between accidental gestures as opposed to intentional gestures on the part of the user.

Control panel mechanism 270 further includes a communication logic 308 to facilitate communication between various components 302-310 and between the control panel mechanism 270 and other components, modules, elements, circuitry, etc., of the gaming system. Further, compatibility logic 310 facilitates the control panel mechanism 270 to be compatible with other components of the gaming system as well as with other electronic devices, such as a television set, other gaming controllers or consoles, computing devices, and with changing technologies, etc.

It is contemplated that any number and type of components may be added to and/or removed from control panel mechanism 270 to facilitate various embodiments of the invention including adding, removing, and/or enhancing certain features. For brevity, clarity, and ease of understanding of the control panel mechanism 270, many of the standard and/or known components, such as those of a computing device, are not shown or discussed here. It is contemplated that embodiments of the invention are not limited to any particular technology, topology, system, architecture, and/or standard and are dynamic enough to adopt and adapt to any future changes.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method for facilitating employing and use of hybrid unipoint control panels at gaming systems according to one embodiment of the invention. Methods 400 may be performed by processing logic that may comprise hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, etc.), software (such as instructions run on a processing device), or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, method 400 may be performed by control panel mechanism 270 of FIG. 2.

Method 400 begins at block 405 with employing one or more hybrid unipoint control panels at a gaming system including a gaming control, a gaming console, etc. At block 410, user movements, including touches and pressures, etc., applied at the surface of each hybrid control panel are detected. For example, various user movements may be detected using capacitive sensors and/or optical sensors with the hybrid UniPoint sensor of the hybrid control panel, while user pressures and touches may be detected via buttons and their corresponding underlying switches surrounding or underlying the UniPoint sensor. At block 415, the detected movements are interpreted according to interpretation logic. At block 420, one or more acts (e.g., acts within a game, acts relating to the gaming device, acts to change user profile or device settings, etc.) are facilitated based on the interpreted movements. At block 425, recognizing other input/output sources (e.g., a touchscreen) to be used in combination with the hybrid control panels. In one embodiment, the touchscreen may be used as a display device for the gaming system to display games, videos, books, pictures, menus, other interfaces to select from a list of icons of games as well as to initiate game play, and other data, such as user profile, settings, etc.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a computing system 500. Computing system 500 represents a range of computing and electronic devices (wired or wireless) including, for example, desktop computing systems, laptop computing systems, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) including cellular-enabled PDAs, set top boxes, smartphones, tablets, etc. Alternate computing systems may include more, fewer and/or different components. It is to be noted that throughout this document, terms like “gaming system”, “gaming device”, “computing device”, “node”, “computing node”, “client”, “host”, “server”, “machine”, “device”, “computing device”, “computer”, and “computing system” are used interchangeably and synonymously. Similarly, terms like “logic”, “components”, and “modules” may be used interchangeably and synonymously.

Computing system 500 includes bus 505 (or a link, an interconnect, or another type of communication device or interface to communicate information) and processor 510 coupled to bus 505 that may process information. While computing system 500 is illustrated with a single processor, electronic system 500 and may include multiple processors and/or co-processors, such as one or more of central processors, graphics processors, and physics processors, etc. Computing system 500 may further include random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device 520 (referred to as main memory), coupled to bus 505 and may store information and instructions that may be executed by processor 510. Main memory 520 may also be used to store temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions by processor 510.

Computing system 500 may also include read only memory (ROM) and/or other storage device 530 coupled to bus 505 that may store static information and instructions for processor 510. Date storage device 540 may be coupled to bus 505 to store information and instructions. Date storage device 540, such as magnetic disk or optical disc and corresponding drive may be coupled to computing system 500.

Computing system 500 may also be coupled via bus 505 to display device 550, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD) or Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) array, to display information to a user. User input device 560, including alphanumeric and other keys, may be coupled to bus 505 to communicate information and command selections to processor 510. Another type of user input device 560 is cursor control 570, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys to communicate direction information and command selections to processor 510 and to control cursor movement on display 550.

Camera and microphone arrays 590 of computer system 500 may be coupled to bus 505 to observe gestures, record audio and video and to receive and transmit visual and audio commands.

Computing system 500 may further include network interface(s) 580 to provide access to a network, such as a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), personal area network (PAN), Bluetooth, an intranet, the Internet, etc. Network interface(s) 580 may include, for example, a wireless network interface having antenna 585, which may represent one or more antenna(e). Network interface(s) 580 may also include, for example, a wired network interface to communicate with remote devices via network cable 587, which may be, for example, an Ethernet cable, a coaxial cable, a fiber optic cable, a serial cable, or a parallel cable.

Network interface(s) 580 may provide access to a LAN, for example, by conforming to IEEE 802.11b and/or IEEE 802.11g standards, and/or the wireless network interface may provide access to a personal area network, for example, by conforming to Bluetooth standards. Other wireless network interfaces and/or protocols, including previous and subsequent versions of the standards, may also be supported.

In addition to, or instead of, communication via the wireless LAN standards, network interface(s) 580 may provide wireless communication using, for example, Time Division, Multiple Access (TDMA) protocols, Global Systems for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocols, Code Division, Multiple Access (CDMA) protocols, and/or any other type of wireless communications protocols.

Network interface(s) 580 may including one or more communication interfaces, such as a modem, a network interface card, or other well-known interface devices, such as those used for coupling to the Ethernet, token ring, or other types of physical wired or wireless attachments for purposes of providing a communication link to support a LAN or a WAN, for example. In this manner, the computer system may also be coupled to a number of peripheral devices, clients, control surfaces, consoles, or servers via a conventional network infrastructure, including an Intranet or the Internet, for example.

It is to be appreciated that a lesser or more equipped system than the example described above may be preferred for certain implementations. Therefore, the configuration of computing system 500 may vary from implementation to implementation depending upon numerous factors, such as price constraints, performance requirements, technological improvements, or other circumstances. Examples of the electronic device or computer system 500 may include without limitation a mobile device, a personal digital assistant, a mobile computing device, a smartphone, a cellular telephone, a handset, a one-way pager, a two-way pager, a messaging device, a computer, a personal computer (PC), a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a handheld computer, a tablet computer, a server, a server array or server farm, a web server, a network server, an Internet server, a work station, a mini-computer, a main frame computer, a supercomputer, a network appliance, a web appliance, a distributed computing system, multiprocessor systems, processor-based systems, consumer electronics, programmable consumer electronics, television, digital television, set top box, wireless access point, base station, subscriber station, mobile subscriber center, radio network controller, router, hub, gateway, bridge, switch, machine, or combinations thereof.

Embodiments may be implemented as any or a combination of: one or more microchips or integrated circuits interconnected using a parentboard, hardwired logic, software stored by a memory device and executed by a microprocessor, firmware, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and/or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The term “logic” may include, by way of example, software or hardware and/or combinations of software and hardware.

Embodiments may be provided, for example, as a computer program product which may include one or more machine-readable media having stored thereon machine-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more machines such as a computer, network of computers, or other electronic devices, may result in the one or more machines carrying out operations in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. A machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical disks, CD-ROMs (Compact Disc-Read Only Memories), and magneto-optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memories), EEPROMs (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memories), magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or other type of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing machine-executable instructions.

Moreover, embodiments may be downloaded as a computer program product, wherein the program may be transferred from a remote computer (e.g., a server) to a requesting computer (e.g., a client) by way of one or more data signals embodied in and/or modulated by a carrier wave or other propagation medium via a communication link (e.g., a modem and/or network connection). Accordingly, as used herein, a machine-readable medium may, but is not required to, comprise such a carrier wave.

References to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “example embodiment”, “various embodiments”, etc., indicate that the embodiment(s) of the invention so described may include particular features, structures, or characteristics, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular features, structures, or characteristics. Further, some embodiments may have some, all, or none of the features described for other embodiments.

In the following description and claims, the term “coupled” along with its derivatives, may be used. “Coupled” is used to indicate that two or more elements co-operate or interact with each other, but they may or may not have intervening physical or electrical components between them.

As used in the claims, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., to describe a common element, merely indicate that different instances of like elements are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the elements so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.

The following clauses and/or examples pertain to further embodiments. Specifics in the examples may be used anywhere in one or more embodiments. The various features of the different embodiments may be variously combined with some features included and others excluded to suit a variety of different applications. Some embodiments pertain to a method comprising employing one or more hybrid control panels at a computing device, wherein the computing device comprises a gaming device; detecting user movements across a surface of each of the one or more hybrid control panels, wherein detecting is performed at least in part using sensors of the hybrid control panels; interpreting the user movements; and facilitating actions based on the interpreted user movements.

Embodiments include any of the above methods wherein the sensors comprise a hybrid of an array of capacitive sensors and at least one optical sensor.

Embodiments include any of the above methods wherein the one or more hybrid control panels are placed at the computing device such that one or more user thumbs naturally fall on the one or more hybrid control panels when holding the computing device.

Embodiments include any of the above methods wherein the one or more control panels comprise a non-planar shape.

Embodiments include any of the above methods wherein the non-planar shape comprises a saddle shape, wherein the saddle shape is designed to accommodate a human thumb.

Embodiments include any of the above methods wherein the computing device further comprises a touch screen to facilitate detection of additional user movements using the touch screen.

Embodiments include any of the above methods wherein the touch screen serves as a display device of the computing device.

Embodiments include any of the above methods wherein detecting comprises distinguishing between a slight touch and a sustained press, wherein distinguishing comprises separating an accidental touch from an intentional touch.

Embodiments include any of the above methods wherein a hybrid control panel further comprises one or more switches underlying one or more buttons placed at or near the surface of the control panel and surrounding the hybrid of capacitive and optical sensors of the control panel.

Embodiments include any of the above methods wherein surface comprises a touch-sensitive surface having a material selected to have a low coefficient of friction ratio compared to human skin.

In another embodiment, an apparatus comprises: a hybrid control panel mechanism having first logic to employ one or more hybrid control panels at a computing device, wherein the computing device comprises a gaming device; second logic to detect user movements across a surface of each of the one or more hybrid control panels, wherein detecting is performed at least in part using sensors of the hybrid control panels; third logic to interpret the user movements; and forth logic to facilitate actions based on the interpreted user movements.

Embodiments include the apparatus above wherein the sensors comprise a hybrid of an array of capacitive sensors and at least one optical sensor.

Embodiments include the apparatus above wherein the one or more hybrid control panels are placed at the computing device such that one or more user thumbs naturally fall on the one or more hybrid control panels when holding the computing device.

Embodiments include the apparatus above wherein the one or more control panels comprise a non-planar shape.

Embodiments include the apparatus above wherein the non-planar shape comprises a saddle shape, wherein the saddle shape is designed to accommodate a human thumb.

Embodiments include the apparatus above wherein the computing device further comprises a touch screen to facilitate detection of additional user movements using the touch screen.

Embodiments include the apparatus above wherein the touch screen serves as a display device of the computing device.

Embodiments include the apparatus above wherein the second logic is further to distinguish between a slight touch and a sustained press, wherein distinguishing comprises separating an accidental touch from an intentional touch.

Embodiments include the apparatus above wherein a hybrid control panel further comprises one or more switches underlying one or more buttons placed at or near the surface of the control panel and surrounding the hybrid of capacitive and optical sensors of the control panel.

Embodiments include the apparatus above wherein surface comprises a touch-sensitive surface having a material selected to have a low coefficient of friction ratio compared to human skin.

In another embodiment, a system comprises: a computing device having a memory to store instructions, and a processing device to execute the instructions, wherein the instructions cause the processing device to employ one or more hybrid control panels at a computing device, wherein the computing device comprises a gaming device; detect user movements across a surface of each of the one or more hybrid control panels, wherein detecting is performed at least in part using sensors of the hybrid control panels; interpret the user movements; and facilitate actions based on the interpreted user movements.

Embodiments include the system above wherein the sensors comprise a hybrid of an array of capacitive sensors and at least one optical sensor.

Embodiments include the system above wherein the one or more hybrid control panels are placed at the computing device such that one or more user thumbs naturally fall on the one or more hybrid control panels when holding the computing device.

Embodiments include the system above wherein the one or more control panels comprise a non-planar shape.

Embodiments include the system above wherein the non-planar shape comprises a saddle shape, wherein the saddle shape is designed to accommodate a human thumb.

Embodiments include the system above wherein the computing device further comprises a touch screen to facilitate detection of additional user movements using the touch screen.

Embodiments include the system above wherein the touch screen serves as a display device of the computing device.

Embodiments include the system above wherein the processing device is further to distinguish between a slight touch and a sustained press, wherein distinguishing comprises separating an accidental touch from an intentional touch.

Embodiments include the system above wherein a hybrid control panel further comprises one or more switches underlying one or more buttons placed at or near the surface of the control panel and surrounding the hybrid of capacitive and optical sensors of the control panel.

Embodiments include the system above wherein surface comprises a touch-sensitive surface having a material selected to have a low coefficient of friction ratio compared to human skin.

In another embodiment, an apparatus comprises means for performing any one or more of the operations mentioned above.

In yet another embodiment, at least one machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to carry out a method according to any one or more of the operations mentioned above.

A computing device arranged to perform a method according to any one or more of the operations mentioned above.

The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts necessarily need to be performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, whether explicitly given in the specification or not, such as differences in structure, dimension, and use of material, are possible. The scope of embodiments is at least as broad as given by the following claims. 

1. A method comprising: employing one or more hybrid control panels at a computing device, wherein the computing device comprises a gaming device; detecting user movements across a surface of each of the one or more hybrid control panels, wherein detecting is performed at least in part using sensors of the hybrid control panels; interpreting the user movements; and facilitating actions based on the interpreted user movements.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensors comprise a hybrid of an array of capacitive sensors and at least one optical sensor.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more hybrid control panels are placed at the computing device such that one or more user thumbs naturally fall on the one or more hybrid control panels when holding the computing device.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more control panels comprise a non-planar shape.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the non-planar shape comprises a saddle shape, wherein the saddle shape is designed to accommodate a human thumb.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device further comprises a touch screen to facilitate detection of additional user movements using the touch screen.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the touch screen serves as a display device of the computing device.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting comprises distinguishing between a slight touch and a sustained press, wherein distinguishing comprises separating an accidental touch from an intentional touch.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein a hybrid control panel further comprises one or more switches underlying one or more buttons placed at or near the surface of the control panel and surrounding the hybrid of capacitive and optical sensors of the control panel.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein surface comprises a touch-sensitive surface having a material selected to have a low coefficient of friction ratio compared to human skin.
 11. An apparatus comprising: a hybrid control panel mechanism having first logic to employ one or more hybrid control panels at a computing device, wherein the computing device comprises a gaming device; second logic to detect user movements across a surface of each of the one or more hybrid control panels, wherein detecting is performed at least in part using sensors of the hybrid control panels; third logic to interpret the user movements; and forth logic to facilitate actions based on the interpreted user movements.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the sensors comprise a hybrid of an array of capacitive sensors and at least one optical sensor.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more hybrid control panels are placed at the computing device such that one or more user thumbs naturally fall on the one or more hybrid control panels when holding the computing device.
 14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more control panels comprise a non-planar shape.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the non-planar shape comprises a saddle shape, wherein the saddle shape is designed to accommodate a human thumb.
 16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the computing device further comprises a touch screen to facilitate detection of additional user movements using the touch screen.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the touch screen serves as a display device of the computing device.
 18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second logic is further to distinguish between a slight touch and a sustained press, wherein distinguishing comprises separating an accidental touch from an intentional touch.
 19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a hybrid control panel further comprises one or more switches underlying one or more buttons placed at or near the surface of the control panel and surrounding the hybrid of capacitive and optical sensors of the control panel.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein surface comprises a touch-sensitive surface having a material selected to have a low coefficient of friction ratio compared to human skin.
 21. A system comprising: a computing device having a memory to store instructions, and a processing device to execute the instructions, wherein the instructions cause the processing device to employ one or more hybrid control panels at a computing device, wherein the computing device comprises a gaming device; detect user movements across a surface of each of the one or more hybrid control panels, wherein detecting is performed at least in part using sensors of the hybrid control panels; interpret the user movements; and facilitate actions based on the interpreted user movements.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the sensors comprise a hybrid of an array of capacitive sensors and at least one optical sensor.
 23. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more hybrid control panels are placed at the computing device such that one or more user thumbs naturally fall on the one or more hybrid control panels when holding the computing device.
 24. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more control panels comprise a non-planar shape.
 25. The system of claim 24, wherein the non-planar shape comprises a saddle shape, wherein the saddle shape is designed to accommodate a human thumb.
 26. At least one machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to carry out a method according to one or more operations comprising: employing one or more hybrid control panels at a computing device, wherein the computing device comprises a gaming device; detecting user movements across a surface of each of the one or more hybrid control panels, wherein detecting is performed at least in part using sensors of the hybrid control panels; interpreting the user movements; and facilitating actions based on the interpreted user movements.
 27. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the sensors comprise a hybrid of an array of capacitive sensors and at least one optical sensor.
 28. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the one or more hybrid control panels are placed at the computing device such that one or more user thumbs naturally fall on the one or more hybrid control panels when holding the computing device.
 29. The machine-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the one or more control panels comprise a non-planar shape.
 30. The machine-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the non-planar shape comprises a saddle shape, wherein the saddle shape is designed to accommodate a human thumb. 